There's no one route to success as a designer. While some designers attend a trade school and go on to work at a major clothing brand, others start out in an entirely different career and pursue fashion design much later in life. Andrea Osei's journey falls into the latter category as she "stumbled into fashion" after working as a pharmacist for 10 years. After learning how to sew with a machine gifted to her by her aunt, she decided to take the plunge and create Osei en Rose, a line of structured separates with a refined, feminine flair. “In January, I changed my personal name [on social media] to my brand name and made it a business account,” she tells *Teen Vogue*. “Then I dropped a logo and launched a website. The next thing I knew, I had at least 70 people at my NYFW presentation.” Surrounded by models in gold brocade coats and pleated floral dresses, attendees immediately fell in love with the brand.
Now Osei is keeping the momentum going with her latest collection, Ashanti Gold, a tribute to her proud [Ghanaian](https://ift.tt/2UXfZ32) heritage. It features pieces like the '70s-inspired, metallic "Accra Nights" romper, a killer pair of beaded fringe pants inspired by waist beads that women wear in Ghana, and the "Ahoefe" bra, featuring cowrie shells, which were used as currency for over 3,000 years in West Africa.
Teen Vogue spoke to the designer about her beginnings, her connection to her heritage, and what's next for her Instagram-loved brand.
Teen Vogue: How did you get started designing clothing?
Andrea Osei: It sounds so cliché, but fashion is definitely something that I stumbled into. I've been a pharmacist for 10 years now, but four and a half years ago, I started sewing. It all started when my grandmother passed away. My grandmother had started to teach me to sew by hand, and it was something I was really into. But I put it to the side to become a pharmacist. My aunt bought me a sewing machine because she knew how close my grandmother and I were. So I began sewing more, and was like, Hey, I'm actually kind of good at this. So I started practicing, and then I launched my business.
__TV: Did you always love fashion?__
AO: I never had access to clothes as a child. I never had the new Jordans or the flyest clothes — I would go to school in my sister's hand-me-downs. I would always look at Vogue magazine or Elle or Harper's Bazaar and say, “Wow, these people look beautiful.” But I never thought I would be making clothes.
TV: What was your vision for Osei en Rose when you started it years ago? And is there a special meaning behind the name?
AO: Osei is my last name and I added the "en Rose" because it's a play on the term “la vie en rose,” which roughly translates to “through rose-colored glasses.” So Osei en Rose is fashion through my rose-colored glasses. I wanted something that spoke to who I am but with a twist.
TV: I love that! You presented during New York fashion week last season. What was that like?
AO: It was major because this was my first time putting on a fashion presentation during New York fashion week by myself. I actually built the entire set with my sister. I was on a shoestring budget. I thrifted the chairs; I reupholstered them; I painted a few end tables gold that I bought in Ghana — we just made it work.
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